Denver's Mountain Playground: the Denver
DENVER’S MOUNTAIN PLAYGROUND: THE DENVER MOUNTAIN PARKS, THE CITY BEAUTIFUL, AND THE RISE OF MODERN WILDERNESS RECREATION IN COLORADO, 1900-1940 by WENDY REX-ATZET B.A., University of Utah, 1990 M.A., San Diego State University, 1999 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History 2011 This thesis entitled: Denver’s Mountain Playground: The Denver Mountain Parks, the City Beautiful, and the Rise of Modern Wilderness Recreation in Colorado, 1900-1940 written by Wendy Rex-Atzet has been approved for the Department of History __________________________________ Peter Boag, Committee Chair __________________________________ Marcia Yonemoto __________________________________ Virginia Anderson Date: May 5, 2011 The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. IRB protocol # 0107.44 iii Rex-Atzet, Wendy (Ph.D., History) Denver’s Mountain Playground: The Denver Mountain Parks, the City Beautiful, and the Rise of Modern Wilderness Recreation in Colorado, 1900-1940 Thesis directed by Professor Peter Boag ABSTRACT The history of the Denver Mountain Parks exposes the profound connections between city life and scenic preservation, outdoor recreation, and wilderness appreciation during the early twentieth century. By examining the cultural roots of Denver’s mountain parks this study links the conservation and preservation movements of the Progressive Era to specifically urban concerns. Denver’s history highlights the central role that urban reform, urban planning, and municipal politics played in shaping the scenic natural landscape parks of these years.
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